UK braces for more wind and rain after huge storms bring floods and leave tens of thousands without power

Authorities in Britain are rushing to restore power to tens of thousands of homes after gale force winds and heavy rain lashed parts of England and Wales.

Parts of south-west England have been under water for weeks after heavy rain in February followed the wettest January since records began in 1766.

More recently, areas around the River Thames to the west of London, along an important economic corridor, have been inundated.

Now there are fears that worse is to come, with forecasters warning that more rain, wind and snow moving in from the Atlantic will hit the country on Friday.

Sandi Patrick's house in Chertsey, Surrey, is lodged between a swollen River Thames and an overflowing old quarry. Water in the backyard is more than a metre deep.

She says she has been running a pump 24 hours a day to stop the water rising above her floorboards.

"What has really been amazing is the community spirit, the neighbours, there's local Facebook pages that have been set up for groups of volunteers to help and the things people have offered have just been truly remarkable. It's been quite moving really," she said.

But her neighbour, Eileen Fletcher, is not satisfied with the assistance that has been offered so far.

"We've been like this for over a week. I've had eight sandbags delivered. We've done all the work our self, we've had no help at all, but just over a bridge which isn't even a mile away they've had every help possible given to them."

Complaints about inconsistent or late responses from authorities have emerged over the long weeks since this crisis began.

Seventeen flood warnings are still in place for parts of Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Surrey, and Somerset, and the BBC says more problems are likely as the next band of bad weather hits.